Nerve Compression Symptoms Misdiagnosed and Compensation for Cauda Equina
If symptoms of cauda equina compression are missed by a medical professional, it may be appropriate to make a claim for compensation for the impact of this error.
Assessment of signs of cauda equina nerve compression
If a patient visits their GP or Accident and Emergency practitioner with lower back pain, it is essential that an assessment is made for any additional signs and symptoms. If this does not happen, crucial signs of nerve compression may be missed and the patient may face a lifetime of lower body dysfunction.
If a patient is found, following an MRI scan, to be suffering with compression of the cauda equina nerves, it is likely that they will require emergency decompression surgery within hours. If these signs and symptoms which should trigger a referral or an MRI scan are missed, then the patient may be sent home with no idea of the severity of their situation.
Cauda equina compression can worsen over a short period of time, meaning that the associated loss of function can also increase. A delay in diagnosis and surgery can mean that a patient who may have recovered with minimal symptoms may be left facing a future of double incontinence, loss of mobility and sexual dysfunction.
Medical negligence in cauda equina compression diagnosis
Where medical professionals are found to have contributed to this appalling and life-changing outcome, they may be regarded as having been negligent in their duty of care, it may, furthermore, justify a claim for compensation.
If a medical professional is assessing the symptoms of a patient with lower back pain, they also need to consider the following:
- Are they experiencing pain and altered sensation in the legs?
- Are they experiencing altered sensation, such as a reduced level of feeling, in the saddle area between the legs and around the anus?
- Are they experiencing any urinary difficulties such as a poor flow or having to strain in order to empty the bladder?
If such symptoms are missed or not taken into account in an assessment of the patient, these possibility that they are developing cauda equina syndrome may be ruled out or not even considered. An MRI scan referral may not be made or it may be considered as less than an emergency.
The result may be a significant delay in both diagnosis and surgery which could change the course of the patient's life permanently.
Speak to a legal specialist
If you or a loved one are struggling with symptoms of cauda equina syndrome because some of your early symptoms were missed, it may be possible to claim compensation.
Contact Glynns Solicitors, specialists in medical negligence law, to talk to a solicitor, free of charge, about the possibility of making a claim.
We can offer No Win No Fee funding for medical negligence claims which we will discuss with you during your free initial telephone discussion.
Please call us on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile 01275 334030) or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
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